Lost Classics: The Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain [iMDB] is one of those rare instances where the film’s production matches the story seamlessly. It’s chillingly cool, calm and precise story telling at it’s most concentrated. The story is based on a novel by Michael Crichton (writer of Westworld [iMDB] and Jurassic Park [iMDB]) and focuses, firstly, on the mysterious and literal collapse of the population of a small town in backwater USA and then the scientific endeavour required to solve the mystery of what has happened.

Robert Wise’s direction is ice hot and the cinematography is almost ‘photojournalistic’ in some cases. It makes you think of vintage copies of Life [life.com] and National Geographic [magma.nationalgeographic.com] magazine. Ultimately it’s the Art Direction that takes centre stage in The Andromeda Strain and makes it worth seeing for this reason alone. The real treat comes once you get past the clean, clinical white light of the deadened town and venture down into the research lab with it’s many colour codes levels (all using the same sets, just repainted each time). The titles are pretty ace too with loads of ‘confidential’ looking bits and bytes of design and typography floating through the typewritten credits in all their Technicolor glory.